Virtually in mint state with no noticeable wear. The mintmark MON VRB in the exergue is the abbreviated form of 'Moneta Urbis' which means 'mint of the city'. It is thought that coins bearing this mintmark were minted in Rome, for use in Syria.

Philip I seized power after the young Roman Emperor Gordian III died under mysterious circumstances. Some claim that he was responsible. His reign was short and marred by financial difficulties from the significant expenditure involved in building the city of Philippopolis, a large payment to the Persians to make peace, as well as payment to his army so the they could support his accession to power. Philip raised taxes significantly whilst at the same time stopped the payment of subsidies north of the Danube which were needed to maintain peace. This led to uprisings. Philip I offered to resign but the senate chose to support him. He sent Trajan Decius to deal with the rising discontent. Instead Decius betrayed him. He was proclaimed emperor by the Danubian armies and marched on Rome. Battle was fought outside of Rome near modern day Verona. Decius won the battle and Philip was killed shortly thereafter, either in battle, or by his own soldiers.

About Us

I am an enthusiastic collector of ancient coins. What you see on this website is my personal collection. Each coin is for sale as that allows me the flexibility to rotate my collection and learn about new coins. These coins once passed through many hands thousands of years ago when in general circulation. I like the idea of these coins continuing their journey from one collector to the next and enriching lives with a little bit of history.